Story by Kimberley Heatherington | Photos courtesy of Holy Faith Catholic Church
Father Leo Patalinghug is on a mission to save souls — and that means feeding them, too.
The award-winning chef, speaker, and author, who was once victorious in a cooking “throwdown” against famous “Iron Chef” Bobby Flay, brought both ministry and meals to capacity crowds at Holy Faith Catholic Church in Gainesville during the parish’s “Feeding My Faith” Lenten mission March 7-11.
“Cooking is an analogy for life,” Father Leo said. “And it’s an analogy for evangelization. It’s an analogy for just about everything.”
“The theology of food that I present,” he continued, “begins with the fact that Jesus became food for a reason. If we don’t let Jesus feed us, then the devil might. And so we have to be discerning with where we are getting our spiritual nourishment.”
Father Leo’s residency at Holy Faith included presiding and preaching at weekend and daily Masses; a fireside pizza night with youth and young adults; a Sunday brunch; and three mission talks, “How To Get Your Family To Heaven,” “Spiritual Combat and the Blessed Mother,” and “Feeding My Faith,” a cooking demonstration followed by a catered dinner including Father Leo’s special recipe.
According to Father Leo, Lenten missions are an occasion he views as a special pastoral responsibility.
“It’s the job of the mission preacher to get people excited for their faith,” he explained. “It’s something that happens only a few times a year — perhaps even just once during the season of Lent. But it’s a time that I take very seriously in order to re-energize, provide a unique perspective, and also give parishes a chance to celebrate as communities.”
Two of Father Leo’s talks can be viewed on Holy Faith’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@holyfaithcatholicchurchvid8859, and his twice weekly The Father Leo Show, and other resources can be found on the Plating Grace website at https://platinggrace.com.
